


can't wait to go home with you

by freolia



Series: Reaper76 week drabbles [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Ana sees all, First Kiss, Jack has a self-destructive streak to rival Steve Rogers, Jack's a dumbass, M/M, Major Character Injury, Omnic Crisis, Pining, Reaper76 Week 2019, Self-Indulgent, can't believe Gabe has to deal with this bs, day 2: keep yourself alive, poor gabe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 13:06:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17850008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freolia/pseuds/freolia
Summary: Reaper76 week, day 2: keep yourself alive/ Omnic CrisisJack gets stuck in a warzone. Gabriel refuses to give up on him.





	can't wait to go home with you

**Author's Note:**

> Let's go day 2!!!!
> 
> This is really self-indulgent. Apologies in advance for large quantities of cheese.

Reinhardt is stiller than Gabe’s ever seen him. There’s blood dripping from his collarbone, seeping through a bandage which is just hours old but he sits still and quiet, letting the healers take care of him.

They’ve taken cover in an evacuated set of flats. This portion of the city had been emptied a couple of days ago after the first attacks, so now they’re waiting for an emergency evacuation of their own - the closest aid had been forty minutes away. Things had gone wrong, _really_ wrong this time around. It was meant to be a simple strike mission, destroy a bunch of the Bastion units which had been terrorising central Berlin from an abandoned hospital, and get out fast before they could summon other units. The intel had come straight from the Crusaders and the mission was top secret. Only Gabriel, Ana and Reinhardt had known any details.

Or it was supposed to be top secret, anyway.

Somehow the Omnics had known, they'd been prepared. The hospital had been _swarming_ with them. And they were lucky so many of them had gotten out alive - his retinas are still burning red from the blood and his coat is stiff and stained dark. His shoulder is aching where a bullet wound has already been patched up. He doesn't even want to think about how he must smell. He couldn't think, even if he tried.

Because Jack hadn't made it out with them.

He doesn't know where he went or what happened - one minute they'd been fighting back to back, the next he'd vanished, running to a scream for help from across the corridor. Gabriel had tried to follow before Reinhardt had grabbed him and pulled him behind his shield - just in time, as a spray of bullets had almost reduced his face to mincemeat.

In the chaos, Gabriel hadn't had the chance to look for Jack - he hates himself for it now, is plotting out a million different things he could have done to save everyone - but as commander, he had to get as many out alive as he could. There hadn’t been any chance to scout the area as they beat an immediate retreat, carving their way out through the mass of enemies. Staying would have meant death.

He tries not to think about what that means for Jack’s chances.

“He could still be alive, Gabriel.” Reinhardt says quietly, and just the fact that the German is so quiet tells Gabriel how weird and fucked up and unlikely the situation is. He nods once but doesn't reply. He doesn't trust himself to speak right now and keeps pacing.

The door crashes open once more, and Gabriel turns for the millionth time, hating himself for being disappointed when he sees black hair, not blonde.

Ana looks at him, angry and grieving and a million other things but still determined. “Choppers are five minutes out, Gabriel. We have to get ready to go.”

Gabriel feels his heart break a little. This can’t be the way they end. They’ve been through so much already, it’s not _fair._ There’s so much Gabriel never got the chance to say, so many unsaid words, unseen films, unspent moments they’ll never get to see now.

“Get the troops together. I’ll do final perimeter sweeps.” ‘ _I have to make sure he’s not coming.’_ is what he doesn't say. They both hear it anyway.

There's nothing though. No signs of stragglers, no flash of gunfire, thankfully no Omnics in pursuit.

He keeps staring back at the smoke of the hospital over the skyline, waiting for a flash of blonde hair, a panicked cry for help, a blast from that insane rifle he insists on carrying - but there's nothing. The air is thick with something which isn't quite silence but drowns him all the more for it.

Until the insistent shuddering of helicopter blades breaks through his reality and it really hits home - he’s going to have to leave without Jack. His eyes are burning but he’s got another six troops in this old apartment building who need to get home and see their families again.

He scrubs at his eyes and is about to return to his squad when his wrist unit beeps once to let him know he has a message.

_from: boyscout_

_message: fukc_

He blinks once. There's relief, so intense he thinks his hearts going to burst and he laughs out loud. He's going to strangle the stupid motherfucker when he gets his hands on him. The device beeps again insistently.

_from: boyscout_

_message: i fucked up, are you guys still here, need extraction, at church opposite hospital_

Gabriel doesn't blink again before he's tearing back up the stairs to where Ana’s assembling the team on the roof and onto the helicopters.

“Jack’s still down there,” he starts, and Ana’s relief matches his own.

“You're going back.” It’s not a question. She knows him too well.

He nods. “If you hear nothing for fifteen minutes, leave without us.”

She looks at him before dipping her head once. He knows he can trust her to do things in his stead - he wouldn't try and do this if it was anyone else. But it's Ana.

And this is Jack.

He’s flying down the stairs and out the building before he can catch his breath. He knows he has to be quiet, but also fast - it sounds like Jack is in trouble and he briefly wonders how he’s going to be able to get him back to the others. Or why he didn't just activate his location tracker.

The hospital comes into sight soon enough, and Gabriel thinks for a half second before running down a back road. The Bastion units might not be able to get heat signatures yet, but some of the other Omnics have infra-red sight modes.

The church Gabriel thinks Jack means is old - _really_ old, and the grand architecture is obvious even from the tight alleys hidden in central Berlin. If Jack was going to pick an obvious place to hide…

There's a tiny door at the back of the building his HUD informs him, and he eases it open before slipping inside. He’s hidden in a quiet chapel, carved stone saints peering down at him, and feels a prickle of discomfort. He's never felt too comfortable in these places. He'd sworn off religion a long time ago.

He scans the interior of the building with his HUD display but there's no trace of any other machinery in the vicinity. Which means that a) no Bastion units but also b) Jack’s tech is either offline or not here.

Neither of the latter options are great.

He leaves the chapel carefully, listening closely before he hears it.

There's laboured breathing coming from the front of the pews and finally he lays eyes on the golden hair he's been searching for, a fallen angel before the altar.

Something is wrong. He realises with a creeping dread just how much red is smeared into the gold, and drops any pretense of stealth, sprinting up the aisle.

“Wondered when you'd get here.” Jack says, strain clear in his voice.

The room spins for a moment as he lays eyes on him.

There's a really nasty cut along his temple which would explain the HUD not showing up in the scan - it looks like the Omnics have _gouged out the implant from his head_. He’s holding a hand over his stomach, and from the copious quantities of blood, Gabriel would guess he’s probably been holding his intestines in since he left the hospital. He can't see any other obvious injuries but the left leg of his pants is badly ripped up and stained as well, and he doesn't seem to be focusing too well when he looks up at Gabriel.

He's seen some nasty injuries before, but this… this is awful. Even SEP applicants have died from less.

“What the fuck happened, Morrison.” He breathes, not really expecting an answer. He’s guessing a pretty bad concussion from the lack of focus in the usually sharp blue gaze. Hell, he’ll take it right now, it’s better than the alternative. He pulls off his coat and starts ripping it into bandage strips as he places a call to Ana from his wrist unit, no longer caring if the Omnics can track his location from it.

“I’ve got him, Ana. He’s in a bad state, I don't know if I can get him back like this.”

The audible sigh of relief is quickly taken over by a hum of concentration. “You might have to, Gabriel. There's no way we can bring the choppers closer, it'll be an obvious giveaway where you are. How bad are the injuries?”

He quickly lists off what he can see. “I don't know if he can walk.”

Jack pouts at him. “You could ask, you know. I’m right here.”

Any other situation, Gabriel would have laughed at his childish expression.

“Do what you can, you might have to carry him. Keep me updated with progress. We might have to leave and arrange for a secondary evacuation if you can get far enough away.”

Gabriel nods, then remembers it’s a phone call and she can't see him. “Wheels up in fifteen minutes.”

Ana begins to complain, but he cuts across. “That’s an order, Captain.”

She goes silent, before a stilted “As you wish, Commander,” and then she hangs up. It doesn't escape his attention that she hadn't suggested for a second leaving Jack behind, and he's beyond grateful.

Gabriel doesn’t think as he works, letting instinct take over as he wraps wounds as tightly as he can. He re-sets Jack’s leg - he’d cried out, the pain overwhelming the delirium for a second - but the healing factor would hopefully be able to do enough that they could walk out.

He pulls Jack to his feet, dragging one heavy arm across his shoulders. Gabriel staggers - Jack isn't holding himself up properly, there's still too much blood and he's holding himself together with his hands at this point.

“Come on, you big lump,” he grumbles, pulling his best friend from the church, “there's no way I’m dying in this hell hole.”

Jack sighs dreamily, and Gabriel really doesn't like the sound of that. “Can’t wait to go home with you.”

Gabriel chuckles. “We don't go home together, _pendejo._ You're moving in with Vincent aren't you?” Jack had spoken briefly about his plans a couple months ago, but Gabe hasn't heard anything since. Delirium does funny things to the head anyway.

“Wish we could go home together though. Love you.” Jack sighs, and Gabe freezes for a second, heart pounding, before realising: he must have thought Gabe _was_ Vincent. He almost laughs again, in relief, in love, in despair, but Jack won't understand any of those.

So he just says, “Love you too, golden boy.” He wishes it was a lie as he drags him back to the apartment building.

*

“Next time I tell you to evacuate a war zone, you do it. Understood?” Gabriel stares down his unimpressed Captain from the sick bay lobby.

“You were on your way back. If Jack didn't get immediate attention he could have died, from what you said.” Ana replies, stolid as she refuses to drop eye contact.

She’s obstinate and stubborn and determined, funny and deadpan and sometimes edging on rude. Gabriel wouldn't have her any other way.

“How is he?” he asks instead of reprimanding her like he should. The doctors had ordered him to ‘fuck off and get some sleep,’ in their own words, but he'd still only left when Ana had threatened to sleep dart him and drag him back to his quarters herself.

“He’ll be fine,” she says, mouth twitching up just a little, “but the doctors are a little worried about the head injury. They think removing the implant could have caused some long-term brain damage, but they won't know until he wakes up. And he’ll have to stay in for a couple of days until his gut has healed anyway.”

Gabriel sits down heavily. That recovery time is slow for them but at least it’ll be fixed. But brain damage? Jack had been acting very strange, and the doctors had confirmed multiple concussions. His implant as well… it allows them to interface with their tactical visors without speaking, allowing everyone to see where the rest of the squad is. That the Omnics knew to rip it out is both awful and really worrying. It also implied a certain bloodlust - that was a really painful area, and Jack was already lucky it hadn't been fatal.

“Gabriel?” he looks up at Ana as she crosses over and sinks into the seat next to him. He sees just how tired she really is in the sink of her spine, the tightness around her eyes. How she’s still so composed, he’ll never understand. He must look like a mess. “It’s not your fault. It’s because of you he’s even alive. Stop beating yourself up.”

He gives her a tired smile. “Shouldn’t have left him in the first place.”

She scoffs, shaking her head. “A saviour complex doesn’t suit you. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and tell him how you feel before you lose the opportunity again.”

He gapes at her for a moment, but why is he even surprised? Ana doesn’t really need her cybernetic eye when she sees everything anyway. She stands and moves to the door. “I need some sleep, I’m done babysitting stupid men for the day.” More softly, she smiles at him, properly this time. “I want to know the minute he wakes up.”

Gabriel just nods once before entering the ward. The scene which greets him is infinitely preferable to the one from twenty hours ago.

Jack is breathing, peacefully now, and Gabriel could watch the soft rise and fall of his chest for the rest of his life. All of his limbs are smooth, straight lines once more (he’d missed the broken arm in his rush to get the man back to safety), his hair is gleaming a soft yellow in the sunlight streaming from the window, and the heart monitor he’s hooked up to steadily beeps at his side.

He lowers himself into the chair next to the bed and tries not to frown as he sees the jagged scar running over Jack’s temple, narrowly avoiding the corner of his eye. “Dumb blonde,” he mutters, running his eye over the rest of his face, “why have you gotta put me through this bullshit?”

Jack’s always had a hero complex, it’s how he got picked for the SEP, throwing himself in front of his squad to protect them from an explosion. As soon as he’d been patched up, his CO had volunteered him for the programme – ‘mental fortitude’, the report Gabriel had read had said. And he sure does have buckets of it. If anyone will make it out of this…

He doesn't like where his thoughts are going, and takes Jack’s hand on impulse, weaving their fingers together. “We’re gonna get through this, punk. You’re gonna see Vincent again, you’re going to move in together and go home with him. Just like you wanted.” He pauses for a moment. Ana’s words are ringing in his head. “That’s what’s gonna make you happy. That’s all I want for you, Jack. I wish…” he stops. “God, if you weren’t unconscious I wouldn’t even be saying this. I don’t know. I just wish I could be the one to make you happy.”

  
He looks up to find an unnervingly blue gaze watching him. Shit.

“How much of that did you hear.” He demands. It vaguely registers that he’s still holding Jack’s hand.

Jack clears his throat and smiles his shit-eating grin. Fuck, he’s so far gone for this dumb bitch. “Everything since you called me punk and held my hand.”

Gabriel refuses to drop that, it would be proving a point if he let go now. “And you just laid there and let me talk? _Puto._ ” He makes a point of looking away and sniffing.

Jack laughs croakily and starts coughing immediately. Gabriel look at him with concern. “Damn, feels like I got put through a meat grinder.”

“You did. You lost. I had to pull your dumb ass out afterwards.” Gabriel deadpans. He’s alive, and now he has to suffer the consequences – endless mockery.

Jack smiles sheepishly. “Thanks, Gabe. You saved my life.” He stops for a moment and looks unsure. “What you were saying-“

Gabe cuts across him, “Don’t, just pretend I didn’t say anything-“

“Shut up, Gabe.” He smiles up at him and Gabriel feels his heart flutter a little. “You do make me happy. I got separated from the group and all I could think while I was trying not to die was seeing your smile when I wasn’t dead. And then you ripping me to shreds yourself.” He manages another wheezy chuckle, and Gabriel feels his heart squeeze. This man is going to be the death of him. “You’re my best friend, and sometimes… sometimes I wish we were more. Even if you don’t feel the same.” He’s thoroughly avoiding eye contact with Gabriel now, who can’t believe what he’s hearing.

“Maybe you have got brain damage,” he says, watching the five stages of grief cross Jack’s face before he bothers to continue, “If you think I don’t feel anything for you.” The realisation blossoming on his face is beautiful to watch.

“You… you feel the same?” Jack asks faintly, and Gabriel scoffs.

“Even Ana noticed what was going on. What about Vincent though?”

Jack looks confused. “What about him?”

Gabriel is staring at him. He was joking earlier, but maybe there is some memory damage or something. “You’re his boyfriend? You wanted to go home with him? I thought you were moving in together.”

Jack stares at him like _he’s_ the one who’s being ridiculous. “Vincent and I broke up a month ago.”

“What.” Gabriel stares at him. How had he possibly missed that?

“I only spoke to Ana, and she wanted to tell you straight away for some reason…” It’s satisfying in the most frustrating way to watch realisation settle on his face. “Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.” Gabriel echoes, disbelief on his face. What an idiot. Why did he have to fall in love with such an _idiot._

“No, but I knew you’d have been too sympathetic and close, and I couldn’t have handled that when I was already heartbroken!”

“So when you said you wanted to come home with me…”

Jack looks at him nervously. “I did mean you.”

"And the other thing?"

Jack licks his lips nervously. Gabriel can't look away. "Yeah, that too."

It doesn't take a lot of time to consider before Gabriel leans forward and kisses him. It’s warm and slow and relief and ‘ _you absolute dumbass’_ , a knot slowly coming undone in his lower abdomen which he didn’t realise had been there for so long. Jack responds eventually, shakily placing a hand behind Gabriel’s head to deepen the kiss. He’s warm under Gabriel, and he has to brace himself on the bed with his hands so as not to lean on broken ribs.

They have to breathe eventually, and Gabriel stares at Jack, lips red and cheeks flushed. He notices a small mole hidden just above his left eyebrow and raises a finger to stroke it without realising.

“You’re an idiot.” He idly comments.

Jack grins bashfully. “I know. But I’m your idiot, if you’ll have me.”

He tries to ignore the grip around his heart. “Does that mean I have to keep carrying your ass out of danger?”

Jack flashes him a boyish grin, and Gabriel feels dizzy for a moment. “Only if you want to.”  

“Good thing you have a nice ass,” he grumbles, and Jack beams back at him like he’s smiling at the sun.

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo, Jack's an idiot and Gabriel really deserves better than putting up with his dumb ass all the time. See y'all tomorrow!
> 
> Cross-posted at my tumblr as well :) (cairdaswailes.tumblr.com)


End file.
